You Raise Me Up
by Mountainsunrise
Summary: "You raise me up to more than I can be." When Mai isn't there to raise others up, who can be there for her in her time of need? A one-shot inspired by the lyrics of a truly wonderful song. I do not own Ghost Hunt, "You Raise Me Up", or the cover image.


You Raise Me Up

There are times in every person's life where they are pulled down by the demons that surround them. For Mai Taniyama, this time came once every year at the anniversary of her parents' death. Throughout the year, Mai was able to project a complete aura of happiness, joy, and compassion. Her joy was one that was untainted by her own struggles. The only thing that ever made a dent in her smile was the suffering of others. After all, how could she smile when the people that had come into her life and given her a purpose for living were suffering themselves?

Every year the day would come: May tenth. It was almost funny in a way. In one instant, a person's life can be changed forever and yet no one else will notice. There will be the occasional people that pass by, the few people that would give a sympathetic glance, and the even rarer few that would offer words of consolation before moving on with their own lives as though nothing had ever happened. These were the behaviors that Mai witnessed the day her world was changed forever.

May tenth; the day Mai's parents were killed in a car accident. So many people passed in and out of her life that day, but no one ever stayed longer than what benefitted them. Some just wanted to satisfy their curiosity, others had jobs to do, and some thought that by standing by the girl who had lost their parents and giving a few half-hearted comforting words they would fulfill their quota of good deeds for the day.

So it was, every year Mai would withdrawal from the world on May tenth. It was her time to remember the parents with whom she had shared such a deep bond and to imagine the life she could have had if things had been different in the accident.

_**May Tenth **_

_ *BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BE-CRASH!*_

"That stupid alarm clock. Whoever invented those things should be tarred and feathered."

After her rather rude awakening, Mai rolled out of bed and glanced at her calendar on her bed side table. After a quick double check, Mai realized that it was May tenth. She had been so busy with the latest case at SPR that she had gotten carried away and forgotten that it was that time of year again. Even worse, she hadn't put in for the vacation day which meant that she would have to go into SPR and request the day off. Worst case scenario, Naru didn't give her the day off and she wound up going to her parents' grave later that night. Either way it was going to be a long night.

After a quick shower, Mai donned her standard apparel for the occasion, a simple yet elegant black dress that had once belonged to her mother, and left her apartment to head for the office of SPR.

She arrived at exactly eight and headed immediately for the kitchen. On her way to the office Mai had decided that her boss might be easier to approach if he had his tea within the first five minutes of her official shift. The better mood he was in, the better her chances of getting out of the office.

*_KNOCK, KNOCK*_

Inside Naru's office, Mai stepped up to the desk and placed the cup before the narcissistic man that was also her employer. After giving him plenty of time to drink the beverage, she finally broke her silence.

In an entirely monotone voice she bluntly stated, "Sir, I apologize for not previously informing you. I have a personal matter that I must see to today and it would be highly beneficial if I may leave the office for the day. I have already prepared the tea blend for the day, and have finished all the work you have assigned up to this point. Anything else you may require of me I will finish tomorrow in addition to my normal day's work. Do I have your permission to leave sir?"

At this statement Naru almost choked on his tea. Here was his clumsy, bubbly, cheerful assistant standing before him looking almost like a female version of himself. Dressed entirely in black, her expression wiped blank, and her words crafted to coddle the person on the receiving end into submission.

Naru's head was spinning. Despite his constant attempts at denying it, Naru had fallen in love with that cheerful girl that seemed to counter all of his failings. Now, she stood before him an entirely different person. Surely it must be a joke…

"Mai, please stop trying to impersonate me. The look does not suit you." Naru was hoping beyond hope that a joke was all that it was. He was concerned, but his own stone walled personality prevented him from voicing it.

"Sir, I have not the slightest idea to what you are referring to. Now if you could please take me seriously, I will need to make various arrangements depending on your answer."

Naru's jaw dropped slightly. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Mai could ever be so cold and heartless. Almost without thinking he said, "Mai, do whatever you need to so you can come back."

For a moment Mai's blank stare shifted into surprise. Here was the boss she thought incapable of empathy giving her the space she needed. But then just as easily as it had gone, the apathetic expression returned and she gave a curt reply of gratitude before bowing and leaving his office.

Naru meanwhile sat shell shocked. What could possibly have happened to Mai to cause such a dramatic shift in her personality? In a sudden and sporadic decision Naru jumped up, grabbed his coat and ran out of the office, following Mai from a safe distance.

And so he followed her all day long. He followed her to a flower shop where she bought three bouquets of flowers. He followed her to a road crossing just outside of town where she laid one of the packs of flowers down and then stood to look out over a lake for a while. Finally, he followed her to her last destination: a graveyard.

As though in a scene from an old movie, he watched from behind a tree as Mai kneeled down before a twin headstone and placed her flowers there. He stood there watching her for a long time before Mai shifted and said, "Are you going to stand there all night?"

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Naru left the shelter of his tree. "How long have you known I was there?"

"Since you followed me out of the office. You are probably the worst stalker in history."

"I'm sorry Mai. I was just worried about you." It was then that Naru noticed the name on the tomb. Taniyama. From there it was only an instant before Naru knew exactly what had Mai so upset.

"Is this the day then? The day they died."

Mai flinched as though someone had stabbed her. "Yes," she let out in a barely audible whisper.

Without another thought Naru knew what he had to do. He pulled Mai into a hug and then gave one of the hardest speeches in his life. "Mai, I know what it means to lose someone you love. And then there are the people that come and pretend they care, but in reality they will forget you the moment something else catches their attention. Mai, I saw how you acted today and it scared me because you looked exactly how I see myself when I look in the mirror. Every day, your smile gives me a little more strength to go on. Maybe I can smile a little more, or even just snap at people a little less. But I know that without you there, I would have fallen long ago. Mai, you raise me up to more than I can be. Now today, when your soul is weary, let me raise you up."

Mai looked at Naru in amazement and saw with shock that they had both started crying. "How can I have helped as much as you claim? I can't even help myself."

"Mai, you don't have to help yourself. That is what we have each other for."

With those words, for the first time in the ten years since Mai's world had been shattered on May tenth, she felt something besides pain. Because of Naru, she felt warmth and love again.

And so, in a dark cemetery, two souls that had been wandering in dark valleys found each other, so that they could stand on mountains and be more than they could be alone.

_Lyrics_

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;  
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;  
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,  
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;  
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;  
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,  
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or the song "You Raise Me Up".**

**Hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this. I heard this song and it fit so well with the things that have been going on in my life as well as a scenario I had always imagined for Naru and Mai. I would highly recommend listening to this song. The lyrics are truly twice as powerful when set to music. Life can be so chaotic I think we often get lost in thinking we have to do it all ourselves. However, we have the people close to us as well as God to get us through. Thank you so much for reading. If you would leave a review also that would be wonderful!**


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